Home trio can land 12/1 gamble

Live on Skysports 4: Sat 12.45: Celtic (1/4, William Hill) are bankers and there’s a potential 12/1 treble in the SPL says Peter Sharkey.

Though they’ve managed just one home league win this season, Motherwell have crept up into fourth spot and have an opportunity to double their Fir Park victory tally when they host Hearts on Saturday lunchtime. Stan James anticipates a home win, pricing Motherwell at 6/4 to secure three points.

Hearts (21/10, Ladbrokes) emerged victorious when the sides met at Tynecastle last month and continued a trend startlingly evident in the pair’s last five encounters – only one side has scored in each of those meetings, adding considerable appeal to BetVictor’s 6/1 posted about a 1-0 home win.

Celtic hammered Inverness 4-2 at the Caledonian Stadium earlier in the season and while Terry Butcher’s men have lost only once on the road this term, they’re accurately priced at 12/1 (bet365) to register a victory at Parkhead. William Hill offer the Hoops at 1/4 and while Thistle are capable of scoring – they haven’t failed in a league match yet – Skybet’s 11/8 for Celtic to win by a margin of three or more cannot be discounted.

Hibs, who missed a glorious opportunity to top the table when they lost 3-1 at Dundee last Saturday, have another chance when they welcome third-placed Aberdeen to Easter Road. Bookies have found it difficult to separate the pair, Ladbrokes pricing the Dons at 17/10, while Hibs are a 7/4 shot with Stan James.

Seven of the duo’s last eight meetings have finished either with honours even or been settled by a single goal. Bet365 price Hibs at 3/1 to enjoy a one-goal margin of victory as BetVictor.com post 9/2 about both halves concluding in stalemate.

Few punters would be surprised if Ross County (15/8, Paddy Power) were involved in a repeat of the goalless draw they played out when they last met Dundee United (7/5, bet365) in September. Ladbrokes price another 0-0 at 8/1.

Dundee have failed to score in half of their league matches and having lost 2-0 to St Mirren in August, BetVictor’s 17/2 for the Buddies to repeat that result looks decent value. Stan James chalk even money about a home victory, while Skybet offer 13/8 about them retaining a clean sheet.

Both Kilmarnock and St Johnstone dropped points last weekend and there’s a sense that while the Perthshire side could win (they’re 21/10 at BetVictor.com to do so), backing the draw (12/5, bet365) could be the best option. Paddy Power considers the chances of both teams scoring at 4/6 and Stan James post 11/2 about it finishing 1-1.